FaeriWood

Budget beauty is booming. Everywhere you turn there is a new brand trying to become the best at proving affordable makeup. I'm not talking about your typical highstreet brands like Revlon and Rimmel (although both have majorly upped their game in recent years). I talking brands where each item only costs one or two pounds... And they are good! With the likes of Primark, NYC and MUA we were spoilt with a few gem items but equally as many duds. Then Makeup Revolution entered and changed the game. I am not even going to try and pretend that I'm ahead of the curve when it comes to Makeup Revolution . Whilst I first came across them at a Christmas preview event in 2014 (about 6 months after their launch) I completely over looked them as just another budget brand similar to MUA and the like. I figured wow, the lipsticks are fab but I won't risk the rest. Oh how wrong I was. I am now completely obsessed with Makeup Revolution and their ability to create dupes of the most...

First of all, lets throwback to 2010 when I starting blogging as therapy during bad health, a common theme among many old school bloggers. I focussed on beauty because I had always loved it but never really taken the time to learn about it. My original blog was a chance to do that (some of the old posts are still in my archives here if you're looking for a laugh). As time progressed it became very clear to me that, although I started this blog with Michelle as a beauty blog, the beauty element had taken a back seat to other interests in my life. Michelle for similar reasons took a step back from writing entirely but I shifted my focus. Whether it was food, lifestyle, events or other random things that entered my head, I wrote about it and enjoyed it but I had lost my mojo when it came to pure beauty. There were several reasons for this. I simply did not have the time or the money to invest in new products. If you include the hours I put into blogging then I was working th...

As mentioned in my previous post I was invited to try the new This Is Tokyo menu in Yo!Sushi Belfast last week. I love sushi. I also love Yo!Sushi as a restaurant so of course I jumped at the opportunity confident that I could avoid aggravating my IBD and causing flair up.  The menu itself features a mix of modern street food and traditional Japanese cuisine all found in Tokyo and part of an effort for the popular sushi chain to go back to its roots. This is the biggest menu change in Yo!Sushi history and it absolutely pays off whilst still being completely recognisable as Yo!Sushi food. The less westernised menu features items like sweet shrimp sushi ( Ama Ebi Sushi ) which, unlike their standard and much loved  Prawn Nigiri,  is raw. This along with the addition of poached octopus ( Tako ) is not for the faint hearted. However the sight of crispy chicken wings ( Teba no Karaage ), potato salad ( Potato Salada ), tuna dumplings ( Maguro Katsu ) and va...

If you follow me on social media you will have noticed a huge upturn in activity due to my illness and spending a lot of time on bed rest at home. I try to keep each network different rather than spamming every account with the same things because I am bored. I am supremely bored. I'm even bored of watching television which is unheard of! But I am using my time to be a little productive. One of the things I am happy about is the opportunity to focus on this blog a bit more without my two other pesky jobs getting in the way of being in bed. I'm joking... Kinda. Thankfully I can now get about three or four good hours of activity rather than just one or two. This week I found out that I am being prescribed vitamin B12 injections starting next week; those will hopefully give me a further boost but in the meantime I am being very selective with how I use those limited bursts of energy.  This week (actually Last week) I went out three times! I never thought I'd be excited...

One thing I can't help but think when I look at my collection of make up is "I'm pretty sure I've lost a tonne of these" I know for a fact that there are at least two  MAC cream blushes missing and a few Benefit boxes too (at one point I had two Thrrrob's because I stocked up when they discontinued it... still mourning btw.) Do I have any idea where they are? Nope. Am I going to miss them? OF COURSE but not really because look at the pretties I still have! I'm a huge Benefit Blush fan. It's pretty much the only Benefit product I will religiously love. Yes the Mascaras are great and the novelty products are fun but, for me, it's all about the cheeks! Give me a blush, bronze and highlighting product and I will be happy.  Other favourable mentions are Marks & Spencer's Limited Collection Pink Mix Blusher (a delightfully checkered mix of pinks, purples and corals) an added bonus is that its hypoallergenic so I don't feel...

I've been a huge fan of the Ground Espresso coffee chain since I first discovered them in late 2014. See my first review of their Waterstones outlet in Belfast here . Since that time Ground have continued to grow and expand their business whilst maintaining a consistent standard of excellence. I've been to a few of their stores across NI and always enjoyed the unique vibe each store has. This is no different in their Sprucefield store (situated upstairs in Next) where I recently met with manager, David, for a chat and to talk about some of the exciting things he has planned. The first thing I noted was his enthusiasm and pride for his store. I've worked for large chains before and there is always a healthy dose of competitiveness. Ground Espresso is no different in this way but what is lovely to see that it is always about creating the best environment for their customer.  I chatted to David about Sprucefield and what sets it apart from other store s. Being loc...